MCDFNL’s final four set to battle it out for premiership glory

Carisbrookʼs Adam Hurse and Natte Bealibaʼs Trent Mortlock will take to the field this Saturday for the 2019 MCDFNL senior football grand final.

The culmination point of the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League’s season will be reached this weekend, with four senior teams ready to do battle for premiership glory.

This Saturday at Princes Park from 2.35 pm, Carisbrook and Natte Bealiba will take to the football field in the senior football grand final for the second time in as many years.

In last year ’s grand final, the Redbacks were victorious over the Swans by a massive 72 points, securing the side its second premiership in a row.

Carisbrook co-coach, alongside Luke Treacy, and premiership player Jackson Bowen said the prospect of a three-peat this weekend in their sixth grand final appearance in a row has renewed their “hunger” for the flag.

“It hasn’t been done before at our club so it would be quite a big achievement,” Bowen said.

“Having lost three in a row beforehand, the hunger is as strong as it would be if it was our first.”

The A grade netball grand final will be contested by Carisbrook and Avoca with Sherriden Byrne and Maddy Egan ready to battle for the cup.

The Redbacks head into the weekend off the back of a 51-point preliminary final win over Trentham, the side that finished directly below them on the ladder.

“The scoreboard didn’t reflect how close that game was with Trentham being just one goal down at half time,” Bowen said.

“It was quite the arm wrestle, but luckily we managed to kick away and blow the score out. It was a good feeling at the end.”

Carisbrook and Natte Bealiba met twice throughout the home and away season, with both sides taking one win each.

Bowen said this “fuels the fire” for this weekend and also gave Brook an insight on Natte’s style of play under new coaching staff and who to shut down come Saturday.

For more on this story see the Back Page of The Advertiser, Friday, September 13

The Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League’s highest honours for football and netball, the Berry Powell and the Nalder-Tracey medal were both taken out by league newbies on Monday night.

Harcourt was denied a grand final appearance for the seventh year in a row at the weekend, with Carisbrook scraping through by the skin of its teeth in a show stopping A grade netball preliminary final clash.